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Burn The Wind
This is the fifth episode of Vale, season 6. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment! '' '' ''Burn The Wind'' The morning was cold. Gray sky like a hard slab of slate rock, ground frozen and cracked, wind bitter and tear-inducing. I grit my teeth against the chill that bit deep into my sinuses as I summoned the strength to climb out of my warm nest. Ryan, who was sprawled with half his body in his own nest and half in mine, let out a grunt of protest as his cheek slid from my shoulder to the floor. I felt a disconcerting rush of heat; had we really fallen asleep in a heap like that? "Enjoying the view?" Minkears stood in the entryway, her fur neatly groomed, her amber eyes sparkling with amusement. "I was not watching him sleep," I said quickly. "Whoa. On the defensive there, aren't you, buddy?" "How's Bluebird?" Ignoring the meaningful tone I delivered the question in, she shrugged and said, "Blue. He's been assigned to guard patrol and I'm on ground patrol." She nudged my shoulder happily. "I'm on your patrol." I purred. "Awesome." "Speak of the devil," she said. Bluebird was walking towards us, accompanied by Lily, Fire, and Josh. "Hey," Fire said. "Good morning," I singsonged, not because it was, but because I knew it would annoy her. Unfazed, she said, "You ready to lead our patrols into the tunnels?" That killed my smile real quick. "You guys will do fine," said Bluebird. There was something unusually intense in his eyes, a resolve in the set of his jaw that spoke of hidden thoughts. I wondered what they could be; surely it was something more complex than just worry for our well-being. "Since when are you Ryan? How can you predict that?" asked Minkears skeptically. I gave her a Be polite look. "Ryan can't predict things at will. He can only see certain things." "Thank you for that not at all vague description," Minkears said. "And thank you for your helpful contribution to the conversation. I'm so glad you tell us useful things, instead of just criticizing others," I retorted. Bluebird glanced around our circle. "So many sarcastic cats," he said, sounding a little bit in awe. "Wow. He made an ob-surr-va-shun. Anyone wanna give him a prize?" said Josh. Fire burst out laughing, to all of our surprises. "Where's Specklenose?" asked Bluebird, glancing around. "Probably taking some borage to help him nurse," snickered Lily. "Oh, hush. Don't make fun of him. I think it's cute how anxious he is about being a father." "Yeah, but he's already suffocating Cammy and she's not even due yet," pointed out Lily. As if on cue, we heard shouting from the nursery. "I already have to babysit Owlkit and Vixenkit! I don't need a third kit to watch!" Cammy's voice shouted. "Ow! Hey! I didn't mean to knock over all the bedding! Ow! Or step on Vixenkit's tail!" Specklenose came dashing out of the nursery, red-faced. "And the man of the family emerges," heralded Minkears. Specklenose scowled at us. "Ha ha. When you all have kits-" "'When?'" Minkears whipped her head to look at him, thus missing the trying-too-hard-to-be-casual glance Bluebird threw her way. "Yes, when," Specklenose shot back. "It'll happen sooner or later. StarClan save us all." "You better pray for StarClan to save you if you keep talking," Minkears said. Before the two of them could erupt into a real argument, I suggested, "How about a quick hunt?" "Breezeflight, you do realize that we will shortly be on our way to invading GreenClan, do you not?" inquired Fire in a polite tone. I shot her an unamused look. "Of course I do. It was my idea. But maybe a hunt would cool our nerves." "And our paws. It's freezing outside," said Specklenose. "Fine, Mister Pretty-Paws can stay here. Anyone else?" I offered. Minkears shook her head. "I'd rather get some breakfast than hunt, or I'll be no use to anyone. Do you want to join me?" she added, glancing to her right where Bluebird had been standing--but he was no longer there. A frown creased her forehead, but she shrugged it off and wandered towards the fresh-kill pile. That left Fire, Josh and I. They agreed to come with, so, with a last wistful glance at the warriors' den where Ryan lay still asleep, I led them into the chilly winter forest. Fire was quiet as we walked. She had been behaving oddly ever since telling us the whole truth about her and Ariel's heritage and history. She didn't need to keep up the wall she had built anymore, but she had hidden secrets for so long, it was like she didn't know how to function without them. Josh was quiet too, but for different reasons. I didn't know what to say to him. On the one hand, I wanted to reach out to him. After all, I had watched Ariel die, and I was no stranger to losing someone you loved. On the other hand, the entire reason he'd known Ariel was because he used to be in the League. Claron might be long gone, but the scars of the past would never fully fade. Oakstar was dead because of the League. There was no real reason for me to trust Josh at all, even if he had arrived with Lily and Ryan. "Breezeflight. Breezeflight." Fire yanked me back abruptly, nearly knocking me over. I stiffened and whipped around to glare at her. "What was that for?" Neither she nor Josh responded. The two of them were fully concentrated on something else, staring ahead as they strained to see around snowdrifts and tree trunks. It was then that I heard it. Something smashing into the boughs of pine trees, thrashing in the snow. Josh and Fire crept forward on either side of me. Fire kept her tail in front of me, as if she didn't trust me to be careful. But when I saw who had been making the noise, nothing could've stopped me from barging past. "Breezeflight! Come back!" A dark brown she-cat looked up at the sound of Fire's shout and my approach. Odessa's face registered as much shock as I was feeling, but I was primarily concerned with the long-furred cat on the ground beside her. I couldn't believe my eyes. My voice seemed to dry up; it was nothing more than a hushed croak as I said, "Ivyrose?" She looked up. Her fur was disheveled, but she looked relatively unhurt; in fact, she looked a lot better than she had the last time I'd seen her, when she'd been wasting away from a disease that was slowly killing her. But what was she doing here? I thought Goldenburst and I had said good bye to her forever when we dropped her off at Twolegplace to get treated. I moved between her and Odessa. Of all the combination of events that could've gone down before our raid on GreenClan's camp, this was the absolute last one I would've ever guessed. I was thrilled to see Ivyrose; just the sight of the face that had raised Daisyheart and I opened some part of my heart I thought I had lost. But Odessa? Viperstar's ex-mate looked a lot worse for her time away, unlike Ivyrose. Her eyes were haunted, her face gaunt. I was tempted to feel sorry for her, but then I thought of Cranelegs and Cloverflower, who had died for the kits she had abandoned. I even thought of how she had wronged Gorsepaw, traitor that he was, by setting the fire that had killed his brother and endangered the lives of both our Clans'. "What are you doing here?" Fire asked. Josh looked a little confused, but he stood beside us with his chin up, glaring down Odessa, who was a perfect stranger to him. "You're not welcome here." I couldn't help but press against Ivyrose, to convince myself that she was really there and to stop myself from shaking. "Josh, could you help Ivyrose back to the camp?" Fire asked. "Breezeflight and I will escort Odessa." Odessa's eyes widened, and she began to back away. "I'm not being your prisoner." "Fire-" "She set fire to the camp, or have you forgotten, Breezeflight?" Fire hissed. "I haven't forgotten." I nodded to Ivyrose, who gave me an unreadable look before following Josh back through the woods. The last thing I wanted to do was worry about Odessa. I wanted to run away and be with my surrogate mother, to spend the day with Ivyrose and Goldenburst. But Dewstar, every cat who had ever believed that I was more, that I was any sort of leader, would be so disappointed in me if I did that. I would, I have to admit, be disappointed in myself. Roughly, I jostled Odessa forward, keeping my claws unsheathed. "Get moving. If you run--well, you won't be able to outrun me. Don't bother." We marched through the camp entrance in front of Odessa, to stop anyone from lunging at her unhinged. The rest of the Clan didn't notice at first; they were clustered in a ring around two cats who were so closely entwined they appeared to be one. Goldenburst and Ivyrose, reunited. My eyes flooded with tears, and I blinked them away. I couldn't afford to be weak and emotional right now. One by one, cats started to turn their heads. Smiles faded, replaced by bitterness and shock. Though my Clanmates were glowering at Odessa, I felt their dark eyes like darts in my own heart. I was the one who had brought this criminal back into their lives. I was part of the monster. "What is going on?" Dewstar marched up to us, eyes blazing with anger as he looked at the she-cat whose actions had driven Quailstar mad. "What is she doing here? Where did you find her?" Briefly, I explained how we'd come upon Odessa and Ivyrose. Ivyrose interjected, "They saved me. She was attacking me." "Who cares? You're not SpringClan anymore. You left, and you reek of Twolegplace," Nighthawk said loudly. Goldenburst turned on him, furious, but Dewstar beat him to it. "That is quite enough, Nighthawk. To turn our backs on a fellow warrior is the only thing that could ever make any of us not SpringClan. Why don't you go guard Gorsepaw? I don't want to see you for the rest of the day." Though his voice was calm, I could sense how angry he was. Wearing a sullen expression, Nighthawk meandered away. Dewstar grit his teeth. To Goldenburst, he said, "Call a council meeting. Thistleblossom, Mintwhisker, the usual senior warriors plus Hollystrike." I was glad Nighthawk was out of earshot, for he would certainly have something to say about Dewstar allowing a GreenClan cat on the council. "Can I attend?" I asked. Dewstar shook his head. "Not this time, Breezeflight. You have other things to worry about." I felt my shoulders slump. "Like what?" I asked, a bit of a whine in my voice. "Like the invasion of the tunnels." My eyes widened. "We're still doing that?" "Of course we are," he snapped. Realizing how stupid I'd sounded, I rephrased, "What I mean is, are we still doing that today? We've kind of lost our window of opportunity." "Tonight. Night's cover is even more cloaking than dawn's." Yeah, and twice as creepy when you're already going underground. I gave him a nod. "I'll make sure everyone's ready by sunset." "Thank you. Goldenburst and I need to focus on Odessa's trial. I'm trusting you to handle the preparation for Poolpaw and Petalpaw's recovery." "I've got it. Don't worry." I gave him a short nod, which he returned, and waited till he'd disappeared inside the leader's den before making my way towards the warriors' den. Ryan hurried up to me, an anxious look on his face. "Are you okay?" "Fine. Where's Ivyrose?" "Resting. I made a nest for her," said Minkears, and I gave her a grateful look. She didn't return it with a smile; she looked rather irritable, even more than usual. "Something wrong?" "Yes. Bluebird," she growled, rolling her eyes. "He's convinced he has to come on the patrols going into the tunnels tonight, and refuses to be convinced otherwise." "Isn't he supposed to be on guard duty?" "Tell him that. Goldenburst agreed to transfer him onto yours or Fire's patrol. If he asks you, tell him no." I bit my lip. "I can't really do that. If he wants to help, well, we could use it." Minkears snarled in frustration. "You don't get it. I can't have him down there. This mission is going to be difficult enough as it is without constantly having to worry about him." "Then don't. Just trust him to be okay," I suggested. Unexpectedly, Ryan burst out, "It doesn't work like that! Do you know how much easier it'd be if that's all it took? Sometimes you can't stop yourself from caring, Breezeflight. That's what it is to love someone. It makes you sick to think of them getting hurt. Their tears are sharp enough to slice you open, their heart enough to hold your soul." Speechless, I stared at him blankly for an entire minute. My face felt unnaturally warm. I had no clue what to say. I thought we were back to normal. Friends. I'd pushed the rest of it--what I used to feel for him, and, though I couldn't admit it even to myself, what I still felt for him--to the very bottom of my heart to deal with later. Ryan couldn't meet my eyes. He took a step back. "I tried to pretend that I didn't feel it anymore. I tried. I'm sorry." Then he was gone. Minkears let out a soft groan. "And I thought I was hopeless at this. You two are insane." "I... I don't..." "Oh, shut up. He's your sun. So what's stopping you?" "That's not fair. I have more of an excuse than you do." She sighed. "It's not a matter of excuses. Everything changes once you... commit to something." I touched my nose to her ear. "Just remember, if you do love him, you're already committed." "There's always Plan B." "What's that?" "The two of us forget love and toms, and become cranky old spinsters who use sarcasm to hide their bitterness and loneliness." I pretended to think. "That sounds like you right now." "Oh, shut up, Breezeflight." "Breezeflight!" Dewstar burst out of the leader's den. "Outside. I need to speak with you." "Good luck," murmured Minkears. "I'm going to go find Bluebird." "Good luck to you too, then." I gave her a smile that I didn't really feel in my heart as I followed Dewstar out of the camp. "What's up?" Dewstar kept glancing around, as if he was afraid someone was spying on us. "I need you to be honest with me." "I always am." He gave me a look. "I usually am." "What's wrong with Brightpaw?" I was confused. "I thought you were holding a council on Odessa's fate." "I was. But we got off-topic." To my surprise, Dewstar's eyes suddenly filled with tears. I had never seen him like this before. Utterly bewildered, I said, "Dewstar? Are you--are you okay?" "No," he said, the word almost a sob. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore, Breezeflight. It's like someone pumped my veins full of poison, and I don't know how to stop the pain other than cutting myself open. The powers of legend are killing their owners, and it looks like Fire and Ryan will soon be following Brightpaw's tracks. I've got a GreenClan apprentice in custody and no idea what to do with him, and I've got another GreenClan cat on a council of my most trusted advisors. We've lost so many cats, seen so much death lately. I see Quailstar's ghost every time I go to sleep in that cursed leader's den. And now we've got to get back Poolpaw and Petalpaw, to honor their parents' deaths, and I don't even know if we can do that without getting ourselves killed, and Goldenburst wants to retire--how am I supposed to do this on my own? There's this weight on my chest, and it won't go away." "Oh, StarClan. Oh, Dewstar. I'm sorry." I pressed my shoulder to the pelt of the cat who had taught me what it meant to be a warrior. "I truly am." "It's not your fault. That's not how heroes are supposed to work. The world doesn't owe us anything: we give ourselves up for it anyway." "You don't have to sacrifice everything." A tortured look came over his face. "But I do. Everything. The only things I want, I can't have." I didn't know what he meant by that, but I didn't dare ask. The last thing SpringClan needed was for Dewstar to announce he didn't want to be leader anymore. "You said Goldenburst wanted to retire. Why?" "Isn't it obvious? He wants a happy, peaceful life where he can just be together with the cat he loves." His mouth tightened a little, as if it hurt to say it. Our eyes met, and I knew what he was going to ask before he said it. "I know I already brought this up once, and you said no. But Breezeflight, if you weren't ready before, you've certainly proven time and time again since that you deserve this. Will you be my deputy?" I can't do this. I can't, I can't, I can't. In my mind, I saw everything I'd ever done wrong, every cat I'd lost or let down. SpringClan deserved a rising sun, not a fallen star. But Dewstar needed me. How could I turn my back on him again? I knew how loneliness could kill you from the inside out. I inhaled, steadying myself. "After tonight, or tomorrow, whenever we get Poolpaw and Petalpaw back... After we complete our mission in the tunnels, we can make it official. I accept the position." Relief flooded Dewstar's gaze. He blinked once, and his tears vanished like dew in the morning sunlight. Only I knew it wasn't that easy. I knew it wasn't dawn in Dewstar's mind; he was just pretending. It was easier, sometimes, to ignore the darkness. "Okay. Thank you. I couldn't keep going without knowing." "Dewstar! Dewstar!" Yellowsun came tearing out of the camp, a wild look in her golden eyes. "They've escaped!" "Whose escaped?" Dewstar was on his feet in a flash. "Odessa and Gorsepaw. They're gone." "What? How could that happen?" I stiffened as I saw the way Yellowsun cut her eyes towards me and blanched. "What is it?" "It's Specklenose--he was supposed to be guarding Odessa..." My stomach dropped. "Breezeflight-" Dewstar moved towards me. I shook my head and tore past the two of them. - - - - "You're not going to regret this." "I already do." Seabreeze glanced at the two cats walking alongside her. In the falling night, she could barely make out Odessa's dark pelt, but the she-cat's eyes shone like fireflies. Gorsepaw was a murky gray shadow slouching along beyond her. The three of them reached the entrance to the tunnels. They slipped down, reaching the circular cavern whose walls were studded with around twenty different, more narrow tunnel openings. Choosing the one to the far right, Seabreeze led the way into the deep well of earth where GreenClan had made their new home. The high walls were lined with grooves and ledges that made perfect spots to build nests, but the only sources of sunlight were small skylights dug through the roof several tail-lengths above them. She missed living above ground; the dugout had a humid, heavy atmosphere that made her skin crawl, though she supposed she needed to get used to it. "Thanks for helping us break out," said Odessa. Gorsepaw managed a small grunt. "I have information that I think Viperstar will find... interesting." Interesting enough to make him forget that you cheated on him and then ran away? Seabreeze said nothing, only gave her a curt nod. It was beyond stupid to come back to GreenClan after what had happened. If Odessa got herself killed, that was her problem. The brown she-cat moved into a small patch of grayish light, the very last bit of daylight left falling gently through one of the openings. Something glistened wetly on her pelt and caught Seabreeze's eyes. Cold claws squeezed her heart. "Odessa," she whispered. "What is that?" "I--nothing." Odessa lifted her paw and tucked it against her chest, but it was too late. A droplet of red slid off the end of her claw and hit the ground, quivering like a liquified ruby. "What have you done?" "It was just the guard," hissed Odessa, dropping the pretense of civility. "He stood in the way. I had to dispatch him." "Odessa." Gorsepaw looked like he was going to be sick. "How could you? That was part of the deal. No one got hurt. We made our escape quickly." "And we did. Only one cat got hurt. That's not a big deal." "Who was it?" "Not that pretty apprentice you're so infatuated with," Odessa told him disgustedly. "Though she's dying anyway." With a snarl, Gorsepaw leaped on her. "No!" Seabreeze dragged the apprentice back, but the damage had already been done. Heads began popping out of their nests, leaning over the ledges to see what the fuss was about. A lump of fear formed in Seabreeze's stomach as Viperstar himself began making his way down towards them. "And you?" she whispered to Gorsepaw, hoping the apprentice had a plan. "You know what you're doing to convince Viperstar not to kill you, right?" "I don't care if I die. I'm here to see if he knows how to save Brightpaw's life." "What?" Seabreeze couldn't believe the kind of insanity she was hearing. "What do you mean? I broke the two of you out there because I thought you would be of some use! Are you saying I brought you here to die?" "And why shouldn't they, Seabreeze?" deadpanned Viperstar, giving her a silky look that made her bloodstream freeze over. "Why can't you take a life? You've suffered because of others choosing to kill before." "What are you talking about?" A cruel smile curled Viperstar's mouth. "We finally got some information out of one of the prisoners today." No wonder the dugout was so silent. No screams, no muffled sobs. "What did you do to the apprentices?" she snarled. "Calm down, mother goose. I merely hit a nerve. I threatened to kill Poolpaw, and what do you know? Petalpaw spoke. She told me what happened to one of my prized warriors." A strangled sound burst from Seabreeze's throat. "Don't! You didn't care about him at all! You sent him somewhere to do your will and he never came back." "But did I kill him? No. I would never have done that to Grayclaw. Your brother is dead, Seabreeze. He was killed by a SpringClan cat." He paused, savoring the power he held over her, knowing she couldn't stop listening no matter how much it was hurting her. "A cat named Breezeflight." The world shattered. Seabreeze reeled like he'd hit her. "So ask yourself this: do you really care what happens to them?" He jerked his head towards Gorsepaw and Odessa. The latter flinched as her ex-mate's loathing eyes fixed on her, but Gorsepaw didn't even blink. "Because you have no reason to. You trusted Breezeflight. You tried to betray your Clan to help her, but she betrayed you." "I--I didn't do it to help her. I did it because it was right. The Prophecy--" Viperstar gave a mad laugh. "The Prophecy means nothing, nothing like what that fool Dewstar and his warriors think it does. SpringClan will be destroyed, but we will not go down with them. I am giving you a second chance, Seabreeze. Become a spy for me, and I will forgive you. But there are some things I cannot forgive." He turned towards Odessa. "No, no please don't do this," Seabreeze said, stepping forward, but she was thrown aside by a muscular cat named Pikefur. Crowtooth pushed his way through the throng to help her up. "Are you okay?" "No!" she burst out. "This is all my fault, Crowtooth." She tried to focus on finding a way to save Odessa and Gorsepaw, but all she could think of was what Viperstar had just told her. Grayclaw is dead. Viperstar had raised his claws, the tips glinting like shards of bone. Odessa cowered before him. No one helped. No one made a sound. And then-- "SpringClan is planning an invasion!" Viperstar stopped. "What?" "Tonight. Or if not tonight, soon. They know you're in the tunnels. They want Poolpaw and Petalpaw back," Odessa said, her voice shaking. Viperstar pressed his claws underneath her chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "If you're lying..." "I'm not. And that's not all I know. If you promise not to kill me, I'll tell you everything." "Why did you come back?" he snarled. "Because I still love you." His claws were like lightning. Seabreeze whimpered and flinched against Crowtooth as Odessa's head whipped back. Three bloody gashes had appeared across her cheeks. "Don't lie to me." Viperstar straightened. "Put her with the other prisoners, and double the guards. Put the apprentice in with them too. The rest of you, mobilize for battle. SpringClan will not rescue their precious apprentices, but if they want to die trying, they can be my guest." "Oh, StarClan," whispered Seabreeze. "I should've killed Odessa. I shouldn't have brought her back." Crowtooth gestured towards the exit. "We have to warn them." Seabreeze wavered. "I... I..." Breezeflight had killed her brother. She wanted to scream, to tear something open, to die. Was there nothing and no one truly good in the world? Then she looked at Viperstar. A madcat if she'd ever seen one. "Revenge can wait, Seabreeze. You can't think about Breezeflight now. It'd be like burning the wind. You'd set fire to the world by accident." He was right. She couldn't let the vale fall. She couldn't let SpringClan come down here to die. "Okay." She nodded at Crowtooth, and the two of them bolted. The End Category:Vale